This invention relates to wall construction, and, more particularly to a unique block useful in such construction. While the construction blocks of this invention are particularly useful for building retaining walls and the like, the blocks can in fact be used for conventional wall constructions with the use of suitable mortars of cementitious materials.
There are a variety of interlocking or interacting blocks currently available for use in the construction of retaining walls and the like. Such blocks are usually designed so that a number of courses composed of similarly shaped blocks may be arranged one on top of the other in such a way that the blocks of one course interlock or interact with blocks of the adjacent courses to produce a wall which exhibits a relatively high degree of resistance to horizontal shear forces. However, such blocks are usually so formed that, when the courses are arranged one atop the other in such a manner that the blocks of one course interlock or interact with the blocks of the adjacent courses, the resulting wall will be either vertical, or have a predetermined angular inclination from the vertical. Further, such blocks are usually useable in only one orientation with the result that, for example, if a retaining wall is being constructed, the blocks must always have one face directed outwardly to form a visible wall surface, and the opposite face directed inwardly against the earth or material being retained. It will be apparent that such blocks permit relatively little flexibility in wall construction, in that a given construction block may be used only to produce a wall having either a vertical face or a face which exhibits a fixed deviation from the vertical, and a wall whose visible surface will have a predetermined texture or appearance.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a construction block of relatively simple form which may be used with other like blocks to produce a wall in which each course of blocks interlocks or interacts with an adjacent course to resist horizontal shear and which can be so arranged to present a vertical wall face, or a face which deviates from the vertical in varying degrees, or combinations thereof.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such construction blocks that can be used in reverse orientation so that if used in one orientation a wall surface may exhibit one surface texture or appearance, but if used in the reverse orientation, the wall surface may exhibit a different surface texture or appearance.